Medical container stopper

Abstract

A stopper for medical containers such as blood collection tubes having integral flange and plug portions, the flange portion being substantially larger in diameter than the plug portion, which plug portion is sized to sealably close the container. The stopper has opposed wells formed in the flange and plug portions, the well in the flange portion having a relatively flat bottom surface at least as large in diameter as the diameter of the opposed well in the plug portion. The flange portion is constructed to be guided into a tube holder into which it is inserted such that one end of a needle projecting into the interior of the tube holder will penetrate the stopper in the area of the opposed wells so as to avoid otherwise contacting the stopper. The enlarged flange portion also serves to facilitate removal of the stopper from the container without contaminating a handler.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In combination, a tube having an opening, a stopper for closing the opening in said tube, and a holder for said tube and stopper, comprising: a holder body closed at one end and open at an opposite end with an axially extending hollow needle positioned therein such that one end of said needle extends into said holder body toward said opening and an opposite end of said needle extends outside said holder body, a hollow elongated blood collection tube having a tubular side wall portion terminating at one end of said tube in a closed end wall portion and having a round in diameter open end opposite the closed end wall portion of said tube, a stopper body having round and connected flange and plug portions, the flange portion of said stopper body being substantially larger in diameter than the plug portion of said stopper body and sized to be slidably moved into the holder body and against the needle end extending into said holder body, the largest diameter of the flange portion of said stopper body exceeding the largest diameter of the sidewall portion of said tube proximate the opening in said tube by a factor of at least 1.4 and, means forming aligned and opposed cavities in the flange and plug portions defining a relatively thin diaphragm portion therebetween.   
     
     
       2. The tube, stopper and holder combination of claim 1 wherein the largest diameter of the flange portion of said stopper body exceeds the largest diameter of the portion of said tube proximate the opening in said tube by a factor of from about 1.4 to about 2.0 times. 
     
     
       3. The tube stopper and holder combination of claim 1 adapted for use on a 10 millimeter tube, wherein the largest diameter of the flange portion of said stopper body exceeds the largest diameter of the portion of said tube proximate the opening in said tube thereof by a factor of about 1.7 times. 
     
     
       4. The tube, stopper and holder combination of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the flange portion of said stopper body is sufficiently large to prevent misalignment of the diaphragm portion of said stopper body with the axis of said needle when said tube with said stopper body inserted in the open end of said tube is positioned stopper first within the open end of said holder body, irrespective of the angle of orientation of said tube with respect to said needle. 
     
     
       5. A medical blood collection kit comprising in combination: a holder body closed at one end and open at an opposite end with an axially extending hollow needle positioned therein such that one end of said needle extends into said holder body toward said open end and an opposite end of said needle extends outside said holder body,   at least one small blood collection tube and stopper combination formed by a hollow elongated small diameter tube having a tubular side wall portion terminating at one end of said small tube in a closed end wall portion and having a round in diameter open end opposite the closed end wall portion of said small tube, and a small stopper having connected flange and plug portions, the flange portion of said small stopper being larger in diameter than the plug portion of said small stopper and sized to be slidably moved into the holder body and against the needle end extending into said holder body, the largest diameter of the flange portion of said small stopper exceeding the largest diameter of the portion of said small tube proximate the open end in said small tube by a factor of at least 1.4; and   at least one large blood collection tube and stopper combination formed by a hollow elongated large diameter tube having a tubular side wall portion terminating at one end of said large tube in a closed end wall portion and having a round in diameter open end opposite the closed end wall portion of said large tube, a large stopper having connected flange and plug portions, the flange portion of said large stopper being substantially larger in diameter than the plug portion and sized to be slidably moved into the holder body and against the needle end extending into said holder body, the largest diameter of the flange portion of said large stopper exceeding the largest diameter of the portion of said large tube proximate the open end in said large tube by a factor of less than 1.4.   
     
     
       6. The medical blood collection kit of claim 5 wherein the outside diameter of said small tube of said at least one small tube and stopper combination is not more than 12 millimeters and the outside diameter of said large tube of said at least one large tube and stopper combination is at least 14 millimeters. 
     
     
       7. A method for collecting blood from an animal body comprising the steps of: providing a blood collection tube holder in the form of a hollow holder body having an open end, and a needle mounted on said holder body opposite the open end of said holder body, with one end of said needle extending into said holder body toward the open end of said holder body,   inserting an other end of said needle opposite said one end of said needle into a blood vessel of an animal body,   communicating blood from said vessel through a bore of said needle to said one end of said needle,   providing at least one large diameter blood collection tube and at least one smaller diameter blood collection tube, each tube having a stopper closure for closing an open end of said respective tube, each stopper having a plug portion adapted to fit within an open end of each said tube and a flange portion extending out of each said tube, the flange portion of each of said stoppers having approximately the same functional diameter corresponding to an inside diameter of said holder body, and said blood collection tubes having a predetermined outside diameter such that the diameter of the flange portion of said stopper is at least 1.4 times the outside diameter of the smaller diameter tubes and not more than 1.4 times the outside diameter of the larger diameter tubes,   positioning one of the larger diameter tubes stopper first into the open end of said holder body, and advancing said larger diameter tube within the holder body until the one end of said needle pierces the stopper of said larger diameter tube, then withdrawing the tube from the holder after a blood sample has collected in the tube, and   positioning one of the smaller diameter tubes stopper first into the open end of said holder body, and advancing said small diameter tube within said holder body until the one end of said needle pierces the stopper of said smaller tube, then withdrawing the smaller tube from the holder after a blood sample has collected in the smaller tube.   
     
     
       8. A method for collecting blood from an animal body in two different- sized blood collection tubes comprising the steps of: providing a hollow collection tube holder having an open end, a minimum inside holder diameter and a double ended needle mounted opposite and in alignment with the open end of said holder,   providing at least one large blood collection tube having an outside large tube diameter slightly smaller than the holder diameter and closed by a large tube stopper having a flange portion, said flange portion having a diameter at most slightly larger than the tube diameter,   providing at least one small blood collection tube having an outside small tube diameter at most substantially smaller than the holder diameter and closed by a small tube stopper having a flange portion, said flange portion having a diameter at least substantially larger than the small tube diameter,   communicating the needle with a blood vessel of an animal body; then using said holder, inserting one of the large tubes stopper first into the open end of the holder,   pushing the large tube into the holder until the needle pierces the stopper and blood flows into the large tube,   withdrawing the large tube from the holder when a desired sample is collected; and   inserting one of the small tubes stopper first into the open end of the holder,   pushing the small tube into the holder until the needle pierces the stopper and blood flows into the small tube,   withdrawing the small tube from the holder when a desired sample is collected.